Imo governorship seat fits this man Prior to becoming the chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), leading lawyer, Chief Eze Duruiheoma held sway as the chairman of the Imo State chapter of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP). He was by all standards a successful party leader. As the chair, the PDP achieved a landslide victory in Imo State in 2011. Forget that the PDP lost the governorship diadem in the state in that year but the party won many of the other seats- two of the three Senatorial seats (the third has been regained following the return of Senator Chris Anyanwu to the party), seven of the 10 House of Representatives seats and 12 of the 27 state House of Assembly seats before some three members elected on the platform of the party defected to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). While still in office, some youths had visited Chief Duruiheoma. Addressing the youths, Chief Duruiheoma assured that the PDP would in a bid to win the gubernatorial seat present to Imo people in 2015 a governorship candidate who is God-fearing, humble, humane and well-educated. Immediately on leaving the venue of the meeting, some of the youths began to call on telephone one man they believe possesses these qualities. Equally after the story of the visit was published in the newspapers, some indigenes of the state made similar calls to the same man. Same thing played out too after the executives of Owerri Zone Political Leaders Forum (OZOPOLF) paid a courtesy visit to the former two-time governor of the state, Chief Achike Udenwa at his Amaifieke country home last year. Speaking at the meeting, Chief Udenwa had marshalled out the qualities of the person Imo State needs as her next governor to be humility, humaneness, good education and a pleasant track record of service. One man’s telephone rang repeatedly after that visit. The callers submitted that they were cocksure that he was the person Chief Udenwa was also referring to. That man is Professor Jude Ejikeme Njoku, former Vice Chancellor of the specialist Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO). Prof. Njoku is not the boisterous type. He is on the quiet side; a gentleman to the core. He is humble; he is not brash and does not want to force himself on people or crave for attention but like a goldfish, he stands out of the crowd. He is made of sterner stuff and that is what draws people to him. He is also caring, always ready to listen and empathize. Prof. Njoku is a devout Catholic and a Knight of St Mulumba (KSM). He is a Papal Medallion. The ex-FUTO VC is an ardent believer in destiny and places absolute faith in God. Truly, he fears God by allowing his actions to be dictated by God. Coming to formal education, no other person in the race for the governorship seat of the state in 2015 is more educated than him. He holds a Ph.D in Agricultural Economics which he obtained in 1989 from the prestigious University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), same university where he earlier bagged a Bachelor’s degree in same field of study precisely in 1976. He also holds a Masters of Science (M.SC) in Agricultural Economics from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria which he obtained in 1981. Prof. Njoku is an academic giant and a lecturer par excellence. He began his teaching career at ABU, Zaria in 1977 and later transferred to FUTO in 1983. He has chalked up about 36 years of teaching, research and public service experience at the university level. He was Head, Department of Agricultural Economics from 1990 to 1992; Dean of Students’ Affairs (1992-1997; Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration, 1997-2000) and served as Vice Chancellor, FUTO from 2000 to 2005. It is not out of place to assert that Prof Jude Njoku’s tenure was the golden period of the university. Little wonder, he won the best Vice Chancellor of Nigerian universities award in 2004. Prof Njoku, an indigene of Ngor/Okpala Local Government Area is widely published in both local and international journals. He has supervised hundreds of undergraduate and post-graduate students, most of whom are today holding national and international appointments in the industry, public service and academia. He has also served as external examiner at the undergraduate and post-graduate levels in several universities in the country and outside the country. He has also served as consultant to several international agencies such as the World Bank, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Appropriate Technology of the United States. He was a member of the Presidential Task Force Team on Education, Chairman, Presidential Visitation Panel to Federal College of Education, Zaria; and Chairman, 2012 Visitation Panel to Cross River University of Technology, Calabar, (CRITECH), Cross River State. This academic giant is also a member of several national and international professional associations namely the Nigerian Association of Agricultural Economics, the Nigerian Economic Society, the Agricultural Society of Nigeria, the International Association for Research on Plantain and Cooking Bananas, Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered) and Commonwealth Association. Prof Njoku holds the chieftaincy title of Ugomunta of Ngor/Okpala. He is also a Fellow of the Nigerian Association of Agricultural Economists. Besides having experience in university administration, he has also garnered experience in the public service. He was Imo State Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Urban Planning (2007-2009) and Commissioner for Education (2009- 2011). It is on record that Imo State returned schools to their original mission owners during the period he served as Commissioner for Education to halt the moral decadence plaguing our schools. Prof. Njoku is a good family man. He is married to another academic giant, Dr (Mrs) Celestina Ugochi Njoku, the incumbent Rector of Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Owerri. Their marriage is blessed with four children-two boys and two girls. There is no doubt that Prof Jude Ejikeme Njoku is qualified to govern Imo State. His publicists capture his campaign mantra vividly: Restoration 2015, for Sanity in Governance in Imo State. Imo State truly requires sanity in her government; she requires finesse in the management of both human and material resources. The era of haphazard execution of projects should end in 2015. Above all, Imo State requires a man who is thoroughly educated; who will be accessible both to the highly and lowly-placed; a man who will observe the rule of law knowing that government is a product of law; a man who is meek; a man who will promote intellectualism. Let’s embrace Professor Jude Ejikeme Njoku for he is the right man for the job. Whenever he declares, please support him. He also comes from Owerri Zone which going by equity is entitled to the topmost political job in Imo State in 2015. Orlu Zone will by 2015 have done 12 years while Okigwe Zone has served four years leaving Owerri with zero years on the saddle in this cycle of democracy that kicked off in 1999.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Mar 2014 15:48:28 +0000